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Monday: Spirit Level

May 9, 2021 Scott Miller

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Tomorrow, we’ll discuss two books by Wilkinson and Pickett–The Spirit Level and The Inner Level.

The Spirit Level, published in 2009, seems to have ignited an active debate about both its methodologies and conclusions, but Wilkinson and Pickett seem to have engaged and responded to their critics–including the addition of more detail, citations, etc. in subsequent editions of the book.

Wilkinson’s efforts seem to be concentrated online at The Equality Trust, where you can find a variety of initiatives spun off from the premises of the book.

And, for those who haven’t read both books, here’s a link to some PowerPoint slides with key charts and exhibits from The Spirit Level.

May 3: Police Reform

April 28, 2021 Scott Miller

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There is renewed vigor behind the years-long effort to enact some fundamental reforms of the police and policing. That’ll be the subject for this coming week’s discussion.

Since I inundated you with links last week, I’ll keep it simple this week. There are lots of articles, so pick your own!

April 26: Afghanistan Withdrawal

April 21, 2021 Scott Miller

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President Biden’s announcement of an unconditional Sept. 11, 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan seems to have met no substantial resistance. However, there has been much commentary on the unknown side-effects of the withdrawal and, on the partisan front, comparison of the media’s coverage of Biden’s announcement as compared to Trump’s announcement of a conditional May 1, 2021 withdrawal.

Among the topics about which I think we can have a fruitful discussion are:

To what degree should the US support the “official” Afghan government to the extent the Taliban keep fighting and don’t come to the table in the constructive way we might hope for?
What does it mean for our presence/visibility into that area of the world?
How many “troops” will remain to defend US embassy and diplomatic interests?

I commend Sunday’s Fareed Zakaria: GPS episode to you—the first half hour is an interview with Ashraf Ghani, the second half is interviews with ex-DNI’s McMaster and Donilon. Here’s a link to the CNN site with the videos (readily available at least before Sunday’s new GPS episode).

There have been a few news articles and lots of Op-Ed pieces on the subject(s) around Afghanistan. Here’s a selection— or is it a “dump?” (Fortunately, as op-eds, they’re relatively short and easy reads.)